Czech Please

NOTE: we have been having some problems with our server. I could not get on to post for a few days. Also, some have said that they are not able to leave comments and bring up larger pictures from the gallery. I think these problems still exist and we will try to fix them but it is hard while we are traveling. I am able to post again so that is good. We would still lov e to hear from you so if you have trouble commenting shoot us an e mail at cncadventures@hotmail.com or try the Facebook link. Sorry for the inconvenience and hope you continue to enjoy reading about our travels : CNC : Now back to the entry.

Our Train

We say goodbye to Salzburg and catch an early train to Linz where we have a connection to Ceske Budejovice and then another connection to Cesky Krumlov. We are on our way to the Czech Republic. We have a 45 minute wait in Linz and walk around the modern train station, stopping at McDonalds for a cheap coffee and sandwich. Our rail pass is good to the Czech Border and then I have bought tickets on line for the rest of the journey. The last stop in Austria is Summerau and when the train leaves there, we are soon in the Czech Republic. Not that you would know it, until you get to the first station at Horni Dvoriste. There is no border control, no passport check, and no Welcome to Czech Republic sign. We are excited to be exploring a new country. We travel through a bit of rolling countryside and reach Ceske Budejovice a few minutes late. We find our last connection on the adjoining track and I can now totally relax as I know we will get to Cesky Krumlov.

On Walk to Cesky Krumlov

We arrive in Cesky Krumlov to a light rain, which seems to be our theme on travel days. It is about a mile walk to our apartment and it is mostly downhill. You might think that would be easy but it is all uneven cobblestones and a bit slippery with the rain water on it. We reach the town gate and wind our way closer looking for the street to our place. We see the street and the apartment building at the same time. We are staying in an attic apartment above the Muzuem Vltavinu. We walk in and ask the girl at the museum counter if we check in here and we are at the right place. Free admission to the Moldovite Museum we are staying above. I don’t know what a Moldovite is, but I guess we will find out. We climb up to our room on the 3rd floor, which is really the fourth floor, 57 winding curvy steps up.

Our Attic Apartment

The apartment is awesome. Old wood beams, little kitchenette,mining area, sitting area, bed area, and a small loft. We have Castle and Tower views from our windows. We weren’t expecting the views which are an added bonus.
We decide to check on the Castle tour as some guides say you may need to buy tickets a day in advance for English tours. When we get to the ticket booth, she says there is one leaving in 5 minutes that is available, so we decide to just buy them and go today. The tour is nice and we see a series of gothic and Renaissance rooms used by the previous owners. These started with the Rozmberks, then Eggenbergs( we are going to their brewery), and the Schwarzenbergs.

Golden Stage Coach

We finish our tour and head back to the apartment. Along the way we stop in the local Coop Market and buy eggs for breakfast. We also buy bread, butter, wine, soda, Gouda cheese for the eggs, a local cheese, local kielbasa, and cappuccino. This all comes out to 258 CZK which is 11 dollars. When we leave the store, we see a local pastry being made. It is called Trdelnik and is a flattened dough that is then rolled around a rolling pin sized form and baked with cinnamon, nuts, or chocolate on the outside. We get a cinnamon to go and enjoy it back in our room. We settle in a bit and then get ready to go out for dinner.
We are meeting Dave and Karen from California. They are the couple we hit it off with at the beer garden in Salzburg. They sent us a message saying they should be at the Eggenberg Brewery Restaurant around 7:00 P.M. For some reason, google maps confuses the address and it takes me some time to figure out on our Cesky Krumlov map where it is. Then we walk under a stone arch that says Eggenberg Pivovar on it right into an open field. Some people are lounging on chairs but we do not see brew service. We walk through the field to some buildings and a door says Eggenberg on it so we go in. It is dim and deserted as we climb the steps. It gets to a point where I feel like I may be walking into a drug room soon so we turn around. We come out in a lot with a security gate and building. We are on the inside of the gate so just ask the guard where the restaurant is and he points up the street. Just as we see it, Dave and Karen walk up.

Dave and Karen

We order our food and Eggenberg Beer. The waitress is all business with no smile. We had read that some waiters in the Czech Republic have not learned the smile and nice words with service piece. She is living up to that reputation. Our food does arrive without any order mistakes so that part of the service is good. Carol had a chicken wrapped in bacon and I had beef goulash. We also got a cucumber salad which was basically shredded cucumber, not what we expected. I got a grilled Camembert with cranberry and thought it was excellent. All in all the food was alright but not great. The beer was very good and the company was great and made the evening. I think we were there over three hours enjoying Dave and Karen’s company.

CNC Eggenberg Brewery

We sure hope to keep in touch and find a way to get together in the future.
As we leave the brewery around 1045 and walk down the street, we are surprised by a guy in a Santa mask, who jumps out in front of us by a corner to scare us. His friend was laughing as I am thinking that is a good way to have someone hurt you. It was a bizarre experience and then a few minutes later a couple of guys in clown like outfits walk by us. Not sure what it is all about but it was weird. At the square, we say goodbye to our new friends and head to our place for some rest. It has been a nice first day in the Czech Republic.

Big Winner

I did forget to mention that we went to the ATM for Czech Money and took out over 11000 Czech Korunas. We feel like we hit it rich with the 2000 Koruna Notes it spit out. Each Koruna is about .042 cents so 10 is .42 cents, 100 is 4.20, and 1000 is 42 dollars. Now I don’t feel that rich again!
Expenses
Breakfast Pastry and coffee 3.3E
McDonald’s Coffee and breakfast toast sandwich 2E
Train from Horni Dvoriste to Cesky Krumlov 208 CZK
Wine, bread, eggs, cheese, kielbasa, butter, soda, cappuccino 258 CZK
Trdelnik Pastry 50 CZK
Castle Tour 500 CZK
Dinner and Beer at Eggenberg Brewery Restaurant 500 CZK
Museum Vlatninu Apartment 55E
Walked 5 Miles